‘The players are behind me’

Under-fire Jackett insists he retains the board’s faith, too

KENNY JACKETT believes he retains the support of his players as he bids to get Pompey’s season on track.

And t he Blues boss is confident he still has the backing of the club’s board, as he comes under increased pressure from fans calling for him to be sacked.

Jackett has faced intense criticism in the wake of a winless start to the league season, following on from last season’s play-off failure. The News revealed on Monday there’s no plans to fire the 58-year-old, however, at present and he still has the approval of t he club’s hierarchy.

There’s also been questions raised over whether Jackett has the support of his players, after some disappointing efforts on the pitch so far.

The Pompey manager was fir m in his view that is still the case, and a united front is needed to get the season on track.

When asked if he believes he retains the support of his players, Jackett said: ‘I do, very much so.

‘We all want to work towards working together and being successful as a club, definitely.’

He added: ‘Obviously for myself, my focus has to be towards picking up results, looking forward and lear ning from the games we’ve played.

‘You have to do that, because we can’t brush things under the carpet.

‘But mainly, the main focus has to be on how we’re going to t ur n t wo draws and a defeat into a winning team.

‘That’s where the attention has to go.

‘A win is what we need and what we have to work towards. As well as t hat, it’s the biggest thing we can affect.’

Jackett acknowledged the toxic air among supporters, and stated he’d spoken to his players about the mood surrounding Pompey at present.

But he feels all those under the microscope can do is work towards getting the season going in the right direction.

Jackett said: ‘In ter ms of (what’s taking place) on and off the pitch, you always talk about both. It’s right the way through.

‘But ultimately it’s only on the pitch that you can affect it.

‘Whenever you l ose, it’s a long week until the next Saturday when you have the chance to put it right.

‘My focus is now on winning the next game, and

I have confidence in the players to do that.

‘I do feel we have a talented squad which can do well this season.

‘We’re t hree games i n and we’ve had two draws and a defeat.

‘We’ve had spells in all of those games, but we’re looking f or t he complete perfor mance’.

Jackett added: ‘ There’s plenty of t he season l eft and we’re deter mined to get it right and get our first win.

‘I think we have a good squad and a talented squad, if they can build up a head of steam they’re one which can do very well this season.’